Original Article
International Journal of Obesity (2006) 30, 715–721. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0803047; published online 30 August 2005
Agouti-related protein promoter variant associated with leanness and decreased risk for diabetes in West Africans
C Bonilla1,9, R K Panguluri1,9, L Taliaferro-Smith1, G Argyropoulos2, G Chen1, A A Adeyemo1,3, A Amoah4, S Owusu4, J Acheampong5, K Agyenim-Boateng5, B A Eghan Jr5, J Oli6, G Okafor6, F Abbiyesuku3, T Johnson7, T Rufus7, O Fasanmade7, Y Chen1, F S Collins8, G M Dunston1, C Rotimi1 and R A Kittles1
- 1National Human Genome Center at Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
- 2Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
- 3College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
- 4Department of Medicine, University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana
- 5Department of Medicine, University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
- 6Department of Medicine, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria
- 7College of Medicine, Endocrine and Metabolic Unit, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria
- 8National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
Correspondence: Dr RA Kittles, Human Cancer Genetics, Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, 494A Tzagournis Medical Research Facility, 420 W. 12th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA E-mail: kittles-1@medctr.osu.edu
9These authors contributed equally to the work.
Received 30 November 2004; Revised 29 June 2005; Accepted 15 July 2005; Published online 30 August 2005.
Abstract
Objective:
The role of the central melanocortin system in the development of obesity has been extensively studied. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within several candidate genes have been associated with food intake and obesity-related phenotypes; however, few of these associations have been replicated. SNPs in the agouti-related protein (AGRP) gene coding (Ala67Thr, 199G/A) and promoter (-38C/T) have been reported to be associated with body mass index (BMI), fat mass (FM) and percent body fat, in populations of European and African descent. In this study, we evaluated the association between the functional AGRP -38C/T promoter SNP and weight-related traits, namely BMI, FM and fat-free mass (FFM), as well as diabetes status.
Design:
An association study of the AGRP -38C/T SNP and indices of obesity and diabetes status.
Subjects:
A well-characterized population of 538 West Africans from Ghana and Nigeria recruited in the AADM (Africa America Diabetes Mellitus) study (mean age 52 years, 41.3% males, 71% diabetic).
Measurements:
Genotyping of the AGRP -38C/T SNP, BMI, FM, FFM and fasting plasma glucose.
Results:
Women carrying two copies of the variant T allele had significantly lower BMI (OR=0.47; 95% CI, 0.25–0.87). Also, men with at least one copy of the variant T allele were over two times less likely to be diabetic than other men (OR=0.44; 95% CI, 0.22–0.89).
Conclusion:
Our results replicate previous findings and implicate the AGRP -38C/T SNP in the regulation of body weight in West Africans.
Keywords:
AGRP, diabetes, West Africans
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated
REVIEWS
Anatomy and regulation of the central melanocortin system
Nature Neuroscience Review (01 May 2005)
NEWS AND VIEWS
Nature Neuroscience News and Views (01 Jul 2003)
Nature Medicine News and Views (01 Dec 2005)
RESEARCH
A rare mutation in AgRP, +79G>A, affects promoter activity
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition Scientific Correspondence
The agouti-related protein and body fatness in humans
International Journal of Obesity Scientific Correspondence
